Device for capturing and concentrating volatile organic compounds
AssigneeElemental Sensor LLC
InventorOliver P. King-Smith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for capturing and concentrating volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a sample of breath air. The device includes an intake for accepting an air sample; a disposable mouth piece; a sensor array for measuring physical parameters of the air sample; an exhaled air sampler for capturing a pre-determined volume of air; a concentrator for concentrating VOCs in the air sample; and an ionic liquid collector, the latter of which may be removed from the device. The ionic liquid collector, which may have one compartment or multiple compartments, includes at least one ionic liquid. Analysis of VOCs in the ionic liquid or liquids may identify biomarkers that can provide a medical diagnosis for a human patient based on a sample of breath air.
Claims44
A device comprising:
- an intake for accepting a sample of room air;
- a disposable mouthpiece for use by a human subject, wherein the disposable mouthpiece is configured for inhalation of room air through the disposable mouthpiece and exhalation of breath back into the disposable mouthpiece;
- a sensor array comprising one or more sensors for measuring physical parameters in the exhaled breath;
- an exhaled air sampler for capturing a pre-determined volume of air from the exhaled breath;
- a concentrator for receiving the pre-determined volume of air from the exhaled air sampler, wherein the concentrator is configured to collect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the pre-determined volume of air;
- and
- an ionic liquid collector comprising a container configured to hold a volume of at least one ionic liquid, receive the VOCs from the concentrator, and be removed from the device for analysis of the VOCs, wherein the VOCs are adsorbed on a surface of the at least one ionic liquid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.